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News Journal

LEXINGTON — A Lexington man who was shot and killed Sunday evening during a domestic violence investigation showed a gun and made death threats to his wife, official reports revealed Monday.

Brian Garber, 28, reportedly showed his father, Matthew Garber, a gun through his T-shirt Sunday after having a dispute with his wife, according to Richland County Sheriff’s Office reports obtained by the News Journal through a records request. Garber was staying at his parents’ house at 3400 Mill Run Road.

In a 911 call, Garber’s wife, Sara Knowlton, tells deputies he had claimed to have a gun in threatening text messages, according to a recording of the call obtained by the News Journal.

“Just so u know I have a gun, now too,” Garber reportedly texted her at 8:15 p.m., around the time she was calling authorities, according to the report. A second text message seconds later stated: “I already showed it to my parents.”

Around 8:22 p.m., Garber texted again: “Those ... cops can throw me in jail put me in prison ... it doesn’t matter what they do cuz once I’m out ... U R DEAD,” the report said.

When officers arrived, Garber was still in the home with his father. His mother and two children, ages 1 and 4, had fled the residence, the report said.

Sheriff’s officers Sgt. James Nicholson and Lt. Donald Zehner and deputies Jeff Frazier, Andrew Knee and James Berry responded to the scene, according to the report. Deputy Berry was reportedly stationed outside the home while the rest of the deputies entered the residence, according to the report.

Shortly after their entering, Berry said, he saw an upstairs light turn on and then heard approximately five shots inside the home, according to a statement he wrote. The report does not note whether Garber showed a gun to the deputies.

“Upon deputies’ contact with Brian Garber, a confrontation ensued, resulting in the death of Brian Garber,” the report said.

The state Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation is handling the investigation.

Deputies on leave

The deputies involved were transported to OhioHealth MedCentral Mansfield Hospital for medical evaluation and testing, the report said. Frazier had to turn over some of his clothing to BCI as well, it said.

One of the deputies involved also may have been injured in the incident, but the department declined to release details. Sheriff’s Maj. Joe Masi said he was reluctant to discuss the circumstances of the shooting, say whether multiple shots were fired or identify the officer who shot Garber.

Three deputies and a supervisor have since been placed on an eight-day administrative leave, per sheriff’s office policy, but the department did not confirm Monday the identities of those deputies. The department will pay overtime to remaining officers to cover the vacancies, Masi said.

Garber was officially pronounced dead at 8:30 p.m. Sunday after coroner’s investigator Tom Stortz was called to the scene at 4:30 a.m. Monday, Richland County Coroner Stewart Ryckman said. Ryckman said his office is looking into why his office was not contacted Sunday night.

“We’re supposed to be called locally, and we’ll be checking into this,” Ryckman said.

Masi said the scene belonged to the BCI, which took over the investigation at the request of the sheriff’s office, and BCI made the decision. The sheriff’s office had no input in the matter, he said.

BCI spokeswoman Jill Del Greco said they are unable to comment on an open investigation.

The spark

The incident reportedly spurred from a domestic violence call at Garber and Knowlton’s shared home, 3425 Mill Run Road, around 7 p.m. Sunday. The two live across the street from Garber’s parents.

Garber’s mother, Connie, called 911, saying Garber had assaulted her and Knowlton, according to a recording obtained by the News Journal. In the nine-minute recording, Connie shouts “Get the cops here now. ... My son is going nuts on me.”

Knowlton takes the phone and tells the dispatcher Garber became upset when she wouldn’t let him in the house. The two are separated, and he is supposed to be staying with his parents, she said during the call.

She said he came back to get his prescribed depression medicine, Citalopram, which she said he was abusing. When he found out she had flushed the pills down the toilet, he got upset, kicked in the back door and started to strangle her in front of their two children, she says in the recording.

His mother, Connie, intervened, and he reportedly struck her several times in the chest and arm, Knowlton says in the 911 call.

Both were prepared to sign domestic violence charges against him when he left on foot and could not be found until he showed up at his parents’ house an hour later.